At first glance, it appears that we should give three cheers to the Daily Times op-ed staff for today's editorial calling for the removal of all pay raises from the FY 2009 Wicomico County budget. While sounding as if they are taking bold steps on behalf of the taxpayer, their call for true fiscal restraint rings a bit hollow.
Note that there is only mention of the Wicomico County budget. Where is the criticism of Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman's budget? Not only does the Mayor include pay raises in her budget, she is handing out some fat raises within her own office. I guess that Tilghman press secretary Laura D'Alessandro failed to notify her co-workers that Tilghman has budgeted over $100,000 MORE in her budget for the bureaucracy of the Mayor's office than she has for street repairs.
Now that the campaign to re-elect Barrie Tilghman (or elect Gary Comegys) for Mayor seems to have begun we can hardly expect too much scrutiny of Salisbury fiscal affairs. Of course, there wasn't much scrutiny before.
As for the Wicomico County budget, there is no question that the 3.5% raise for county employees should be put on hold. What about Board of Education employees? While the Gannett gang may claim that teachers and WCBOE staff are included in this, they certainly don't explicitly advocate for flat BOE wages.
There has been some talk of the Wicomico County Council making line item cuts in the BOE budget. I hope that this is the case. IF the County Council actually spent time pouring through the BOE budget, I am sure that spending hawks like Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman could find a fair chunk of fat to cut despite the claims of the BOE that EVERY dollar is well spent. If you add the expertise of Councilwoman Gail Bartkovich, who always seems to find the facts no matter how deeply buried, the taxpayers could wind up with a material savings.
There may be one problem. I am not sure if the Wicomico County Council (or County Executive Rick Pollitt) has the authority to make line item cuts in the BOE budget. I believe that this is the sole responsibility of the Board of Education itself. I hope that I am mistaken.
IF the County Council cannot make line item cuts in the BOE budget, the board will simply take money from their true mission - educating our kids - while maintaining already agreed to pay raises for WCBOE employees and continuing to feed the bureaucracy. Our elected representatives should have the final say, not appointees (no matter how well intentioned) who will almost always side with the Superintendent and his staff.
There is also no mention of the Sheriff's office. While I certainly don't begrudge our deputies their promised pay increase, it is important that EVERYTHING is on the table. This also means that IF council decided to fund pay raises (in whole or in part) in the Sheriff's office that they should not necessarily fund other pay raises "to be fair". Our elected officials are there to pass laws and to set priorities.
Hopefully, the Wicomico County Council will reach the correct conclusion. As for the Salisbury Council, I've pretty much given up on America's most irrelevant legislature.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, Salisbury, politics, Wicomico politics, fiscal policy, Joe Holloway, Stevie Prettyman, Gail Bartkovich, media, Daily Times, Gannett
Note that there is only mention of the Wicomico County budget. Where is the criticism of Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman's budget? Not only does the Mayor include pay raises in her budget, she is handing out some fat raises within her own office. I guess that Tilghman press secretary Laura D'Alessandro failed to notify her co-workers that Tilghman has budgeted over $100,000 MORE in her budget for the bureaucracy of the Mayor's office than she has for street repairs.
Now that the campaign to re-elect Barrie Tilghman (or elect Gary Comegys) for Mayor seems to have begun we can hardly expect too much scrutiny of Salisbury fiscal affairs. Of course, there wasn't much scrutiny before.
As for the Wicomico County budget, there is no question that the 3.5% raise for county employees should be put on hold. What about Board of Education employees? While the Gannett gang may claim that teachers and WCBOE staff are included in this, they certainly don't explicitly advocate for flat BOE wages.
There has been some talk of the Wicomico County Council making line item cuts in the BOE budget. I hope that this is the case. IF the County Council actually spent time pouring through the BOE budget, I am sure that spending hawks like Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman could find a fair chunk of fat to cut despite the claims of the BOE that EVERY dollar is well spent. If you add the expertise of Councilwoman Gail Bartkovich, who always seems to find the facts no matter how deeply buried, the taxpayers could wind up with a material savings.
There may be one problem. I am not sure if the Wicomico County Council (or County Executive Rick Pollitt) has the authority to make line item cuts in the BOE budget. I believe that this is the sole responsibility of the Board of Education itself. I hope that I am mistaken.
IF the County Council cannot make line item cuts in the BOE budget, the board will simply take money from their true mission - educating our kids - while maintaining already agreed to pay raises for WCBOE employees and continuing to feed the bureaucracy. Our elected representatives should have the final say, not appointees (no matter how well intentioned) who will almost always side with the Superintendent and his staff.
There is also no mention of the Sheriff's office. While I certainly don't begrudge our deputies their promised pay increase, it is important that EVERYTHING is on the table. This also means that IF council decided to fund pay raises (in whole or in part) in the Sheriff's office that they should not necessarily fund other pay raises "to be fair". Our elected officials are there to pass laws and to set priorities.
Hopefully, the Wicomico County Council will reach the correct conclusion. As for the Salisbury Council, I've pretty much given up on America's most irrelevant legislature.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, Salisbury, politics, Wicomico politics, fiscal policy, Joe Holloway, Stevie Prettyman, Gail Bartkovich, media, Daily Times, Gannett
23 comments:
There's plenty of stupidity to go around.
Rick Pollitt knows that many public employees, not just teachers, have special skills that are in demand by neighboring jurisdictions that are continuing to provide decent wages and regular raises for COLA and steps. We are already seeing attrition of those personnel. No doubt when the County Council has spoken, the floodgates will open.
Barrie Tilghman has spent the City to the verge of bankruptcy, so can't provide meaningful raises except to her special people like Lore Chambers, which will be rubber-stamped by the three bobble heads on the City Council.
For a good comment on the Salisbury situation see this:
http://onyoursidesby.blogspot.com/2008/05/budget-sessions-reveal-real-cost-of.html
Again GA, good work. Please, more of these posts, and no more of the "Bill Duvall is a smelly so-and-so," just so we can we can get his dose of, "oh yeah, well GA Harrison is a stinky so-and-so" rantings.
Those posts are unnecessary, unbearable, and worst, distracting to the greater good. In my opinion.
Help keep our eye on the ball.
Thanks
Slick Ricky was seen yesterday at the JMB Groundbreaking ceremony whispering to the President of the Lawless Teachers Union. This went on for quite some time and made me suspicious since they had their backs to the crowd.
Teachers voted several weeks ago on a negotiated pay raise of 3% for next year. This means teachers barely break even when healthcare and legally-mandated pension contributions increase. However, teachers are being informed by their association that County Council is demanding the increase be only 2%. Instead of bashing educators, consider that this is a net pay DEDUCTION. Wicomico will continue to fall behind other regional jurisdictions; turnover will increase.
**Remember teachers are required to accumulate educational credits for licensing. Tuition increases, their take-home pay decreases...
Rumor has it Sheriffs Dept gets 8%
In the past the Wico. county Council has said The board is in charge of the budget, we allot it the have to see it thru kinda thing. Now in the past when teachers were to get a approved council raise, and the board did not give the amt alloted, the council washed their hands of it. Now they want to adminster it, and see line item spending. That is going to take a ton of effort if they want to oversee every dept.'s budget line for line. I mean that is why we have dept. heads to oversee the budget allotted to them right? I think the council is just flexing their muscle since Rick is in charge and their feelings are hurt. Support our teachers and our sheriff, support our county employees, their salery may help improve your life
Yes, I agree with GA. It is high time that this county and especially this city becomes fiscally responsible (like the Weasel said when running for office)and accountable to the citizens of this county and city. If that means no raises for the ewducators and tight controls over all spending goals, then so be it. I am confident the county council will try to do the right thing for us tax payers, but surely am not so confident about the cities budget, since the three bobble heads will let the mayor get away with waisting tax dolars on her office staff and giving special grants to contractors as in the past! Enough is really Enough.
A. Goetz
Anonymous said...
Teachers voted several weeks ago on a negotiated pay raise of 3% for next year. This means teachers barely break even when healthcare and legally-mandated pension contributions increase. However, teachers are being informed by their association that County Council is demanding the increase be only 2%. Instead of bashing educators, consider that this is a net pay DEDUCTION. Wicomico will continue to fall behind other regional jurisdictions; turnover will increase.
**Remember teachers are required to accumulate educational credits for licensing. Tuition increases, their take-home pay decreases...
11:56 AM
Find another job!!
Anonymous said...
Support our teachers and our sheriff, support our county employees, their salery may help improve your life
2:19 PM
"Salery?" No wonder our kids are failing the the Wicomico County School system. The one's teaching them can't even spell. If I wanted a baby sitter I would have kept my kids in day care.
It is not right to "balance" the budget on the back of employees. They deserve to get the raise, they work hard for the county and if it means to cut something else cut that. The workers should not bear the brunt of "balance" it is not fair.
Remember the Board of Ed. gave the huge 10% bonuses to those retiring in the next three years and tried to get those bonuses to count as salary for pension purposes. Then they wanted 85% of health care premiums paid and 50% paid for each dependent. Keep in mind they knew this revenue shortfall was coming. These expenditures were not asked for by the teachers and should not be funded so those at the top of the Board staff can get comfortable retirements. Is that 10% ENP going to be funded for next year or was it contingent upon funds being available? There are pages and pages of people who will be getting that.
I got 5% and some added benefits. At a time when we all are paying a lot more for gasoline and utilities, those lower tier employee's need the raise more than Lore' and the rest of the elite's.
if ole gangbusters is so friggen frugal to the county employees, how bout his ass deter his annual salary for the remaining time he is in on the council! till eddie werkheiser takes his place in the next election.
Anonymous said...
if ole gangbusters is so friggen frugal to the county employees, how bout his ass deter his annual salary for the remaining time he is in on the council! till eddie werkheiser takes his place in the next election.
8:45 PM
Who is gangbusters?
Eddie Werkhieser didn't have a chance in hell then and he won't ever.
There are people in all types of positions from unskilled labor to professional status who are not getting any raises. Jobs are being cut. I haven't had a raise in 2 years---but I still have a job. I work nights, weekends, holidays a fair amount of time. I work short staffed.
Teachers make a fair living. They need to quit crying. I know it is not a cake walk in the school system, but considering the hours, the perks, summers and holidays to be with their family-I am sorry. No sympathy here. Raises are not automatic.
Nalagirl
Anonymous said...
Teachers voted several weeks ago on a negotiated pay raise of 3% for next year. This means teachers barely break even when healthcare and legally-mandated pension contributions increase. However, teachers are being informed by their association that County Council is demanding the increase be only 2%. Instead of bashing educators, consider that this is a net pay DEDUCTION. Wicomico will continue to fall behind other regional jurisdictions; turnover will increase.
Teachers dont pay sh!t compared to "regular county employees" when it comes to healthcare and pensions. THAT IS A FACT!!! A typical "Regular" county employee pays between $450 and $500 a month for its mandatory pension and benefits. How much do you pay? (Not and elective 401k) Oh please do tell and then talk about your measly 3% raise.
The BOE "almost always sides with the superintendent and and staff?"
In a very emotional and standing room only public meeting in March, didn't a majority of the Board turn down a request to add a new retiree health care proposal that would be competitive with what is already available to County employees?
Check the minutes.
Teachers may pay more after retirement than average county employees, however, if you factor in the fact they pay half or less during their employment years, and the span of time between retirement and when medicare kicks in, teachers definitely make out much better. How much does the BOE contribute towards your retirement? How about your 401? Regular county employees fund their own retirement. Lets truly compare apples to apples. You guys cant have it all and both ways. You already get half the operating budget.
8:40
Your post is very misleading. The proposal to fund 85% of health insurance costs for Board retirees and 50% of the cost for their dependents IS NOT what other county employees have. We also did not get a whopping 10% BONUS FOR THREE YEARS to say when we MIGHT retire. Whoever thought of that, it was not the teachers but some at the central office. Because the bonus is a percent of salary, guess who benefits the most? Could it be the two assistant superintendents who signed up for retirement? Which one is keeping a retirement bonus but not retiring? Ethical?
What is the difference between what county employees pay for pre-retirement health care and pension compared to what Board of Ed. employees pay? How is the cost of health care different for the two groups after retirement? Does anyone really have the figures?
8:40 (BOE Central Office Employee)
For Board employees to get a 10% raise for up to three years if they're retiring, to try to have that count as salary for pension purposes, to say that Talbot has done that same thing for years (untrue), to try to get 85% of retirement health care paid for employees, etc., is a plan designed to give huge, huge financial gains to those retiring within the next three years. Not saying that we county employees pay far more for health care before we retire than Bd. of Ed. employees do was done on purpose. That the Board voted against the health plan by a 4-3 vote is to the Board's credit, but not to the credit of those who proposed it. The Board should look more carefully at who at the central office is getting the most benefit from the 10% raise.
"Teachers may pay more after retirement than average county employees,"...
Maybe so, but many in other professions pay EVERYTHING after retirement.
I really think the problem does not lie in the 3.5% pay raise for county employees. I think that should be left untouched because things cost alot more and cost of living increases nowadays are not covering it. The mayors office is what needs to be put into check. The pay raises that are seen there are far greater than any of those people need to just keep living.. it increases their fiscal availability and personal wealth while stealing money from very important things for example, as you mentioned, ROADS!! I think they should leave the 3.5 % pay raise as it is and put some more checks and balances into place in the mayors office!
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